"Are you going grocery shopping today?" My husband, Roy asked when I picked up the telephone.

"I plan to," I answered.

Thanksgiving was only a couple days away. Everyone in our family would be coming to our house. My funds were limited, therefore my box of coupons awaited me in the car. I knew I had to be creative in my shopping that day. I had to stretch every dollar.

For a few seconds, Roy sat silently on the other end of the line. "Why do you ask?" I uttered, fearing what he might say.

"Nancy, there's a family with a half dozen kids that will not have anything to eat for Thanksgiving. The little one is only five-years-old."

"So what are you saying?" I whispered.

"While you're at the store could you possibly buy something for them?" Roy's words echoed in my heart. Groceries¦ a five-year-old¦ eight in the family¦ My head began to spin thinking about the fifty dollars I had reserved for our family's Thanksgiving dinner.

In the back of my mind I counted the hungry guests who would be coming to our house for dinner. I put my head down on my desk, already feeling defeated.

There's no way possible, I thought. But the compassion I heard in my husband's voice struck a nerve inside me.

"Sure," I replied. "But only if God helps."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Roy whispered. "Just do what you can."

He then hung up the telephone. I finished my work and prayed all the way to the nearest grocery store.

I entered the parking lot. I noticed a big sign in the grocery store window: Turkeys - 29 cents a pound.

"This is the place, Lord" I whispered. I grabbed my box of coupons, went inside, secured two buggies, and headed to the frozen foods. The turkeys were indeed on sale, but I discovered one big problem. When I read the sign posted on the freezer door my heart sank. "Limit one."

"But I need two," I uttered to myself. I decided to find the manager. I explained the problem. He made an exception.

After tossing a turkey in each buggy, I began my shopping fury. It was amazing how many buy-one, get-one free items were being featured that day. The first item went into one buggy. The free item went in the other. In addition, I had all the right coupons to get exactly what both families needed for a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. I proceeded to the register and held my breath while the cashier rang up my groceries.

To my surprise, I had enough money. I was even able to purchase a package of cookies for the five-year-old who had stolen my heart, even though I had never met her.

Later that afternoon, Roy and I made a special delivery to a home filled with children of all ages. I will never forget the smiles on the six kids' faces, as they made several trips from my car carrying numerous bags of groceries inside.

This event reminded me of a story. Even though He only had a few loaves and fishes, Jesus multiplied them and fed five thousand people. And to top it off, there was food left over. I wondered if God was doing the same thing that day.

By far, that was the greatest Thanksgiving Day of my life. My entire family shared a hearty meal with us. We had plenty to eat. We even had enough food left over for the evening meal.

That afternoon, when I had time to think about what had happened, I imagined a home, not far from where I lived. There was a mother and a father and six children sitting around the kitchen table, laughing and rejoicing. They enjoyed the same meal that our family had shared together that day.

Then I realized that miracles happen when we step out in faith and in steps God. For with us, some things are impossible. But with God, all things are possible.

This reminds me of an FOAF/glurge story that came from my sister's coworker. Apparently this coworker at one time had no money to feed her three kids and refused to apply for food stamps, because gubmint programs are teh ebil. So she went to the parking lot of a large shopping center and started looking in people's back seats. And--praise God!--she found three or four cars with bags of groceries in the back seats, whose owners--praise God!--had left the doors unlocked. She took just a little from each car, and was able to feed her family for the week without resorting to talking to the unsaved at DSHS. Theft? Naw. God meant for her to take those other people's groceries. Otherwise God would have made sure to remind the drivers to lock the doors, wouldn't he?

This story bothers me almost as much as the one from my sister's coworker, though. It's just the writer congratulating herself for being charitable.

ETA: And what kind of store takes just any old coupon? And if her husband really wanted to help that family, why didn't he help her with the shopping, since it was all his idea? And why didn't a church or other food bank give this poor family with six kids a food basket?

Because husbands don't do shopping, silly! What I don't understand is why she needed one cart per meal and why her jerk of a husband didn't come to push the other one- you can't even push a stroller and a cart at the same time!

Your FOAF's story *is* disturbing. I can't wrap my head around the logic that foodstamps are *worse*.

"Nancy, there's a family with a half dozen kids that will not have anything to eat for Thanksgiving. The little one is only five-years-old."

"So what are you saying?" I whispered.

"While you're at the store could you possibly buy something for them?" Roy's words echoed in my heart. Groceries¦ a five-year-old¦ eight in the family¦ My head began to spin thinking about the fifty dollars I had reserved for our family's Thanksgiving dinner.

In the back of my mind I counted the hungry guests who would be coming to our house for dinner. I put my head down on my desk, already feeling defeated.

There's no way possible, I thought. But the compassion I heard in my husband's voice struck a nerve inside me.

"Sure," I replied. "But only if God helps."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Roy whispered. "Just do what you can."

He then hung up the telephone. I finished my work and prayed all the way to the nearest grocery store.

Prayed? yeah right. Read 'Swore all the way to the nearest Grocery Store."

Quote:

This event reminded me of a story. Even though He only had a few loaves and fishes, Jesus multiplied them and fed five thousand people. And to top it off, there was food left over. I wondered if God was doing the same thing that day.

Well, I just bought food for Thanksgiving and only paid some 44 odd dollars. Granted, we still need the turkey and some mushrooms. And granted, we're only cooking for 2.

Wow! Food went on sale just a few days before Thanksgiving! What a miracle! It's not that grocery stores do more business on the holidays and try to take advantage of that by lowering prices. Nope! It must be the man up stairs! No other explanation.

I went shopping for a turkey yesterday and the only ones the store had were birdzillas priced in the $75 range . Of course we don't celebrate thanksgiving this week so the stores aren't catering to that. But if I did want to "do" thanksgiving the price tag would be well in excess of $100 for one meal.

...In the back of my mind I counted the hungry guests who would be coming to our house for dinner. ....

Later that afternoon, Roy and I made a special delivery to a home filled with children of all ages. I will never forget the smiles on the six kids' faces, as they made several trips from my car carrying numerous bags of groceries inside. ...

By far, that was the greatest Thanksgiving Day of my life. My entire family shared a hearty meal with us. We had plenty to eat. We even had enough food left over for the evening meal.

That afternoon, when I had time to think about what had happened, I imagined a home, not far from where I lived. There was a mother and a father and six children sitting around the kitchen table, laughing and rejoicing. They enjoyed the same meal that our family had shared together that day....

I'm glad that two poor glurgy families received the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner. But the cynic in me can't help noticing that:
(a) the family with the coupons didn't have to use any of their own money to buy the fixin's for two feasts (God provided the coupons and the grocery store bargains) and
(b) the even poorer family wasn't invited to partake of the good feelings around the table of the donating family, thus:
(b1) allowing the donating family to bask in their own goodness without having to get to actually know these other poor people, and
(b2) not even having to check on whether this other poor family had electricity or know-how to know what to do with this largess that was bestowed upon them.

Back when we had a local Big Star grocery, they'd keep track of your purchases beginning about the first of October. If you spent more than a certain level, you got a free Thanksgiving turkey. We got several that way and always gave them to folks who otherwise wouldn't be able to have one.

"Nancy, there's a family with a half dozen kids that will not have anything to eat for Thanksgiving. While you're at the store could you possibly buy something for them?" Roy's words echoed in my heart.

There's no way possible, I thought. But the compassion I heard in my husband's voice struck a nerve inside me.

"Sure," I replied. "But only if God helps."

Maybe the reason that family had nothing to eat for Thanksgiving was because they were being punished by God for some moral transgression. Who are we to question His ways and interfere with His plans?

I entered the parking lot. I noticed a big sign in the grocery store window: Turkeys - 29 cents a pound.

"This is the place, Lord" I whispered. I grabbed my box of coupons, went inside, secured two buggies, and headed to the frozen foods. The turkeys were indeed on sale, but I discovered one big problem. When I read the sign posted on the freezer door my heart sank. "Limit one."

"But I need two," I uttered to myself. I decided to find the manager. I explained the problem. He made an exception.

After tossing a turkey in each buggy, I began my shopping fury.

Wouldn't it have made more sense to buy one turkey and buy everything else (and place all of these items in ONE cart), take those items out to the car, and re-enter the store to buy the second turkey?

Quote:

To my surprise, I had enough money. I was even able to purchase a package of cookies for the five-year-old who had stolen my heart, even though I had never met her.

Considering that the narrator had never met the five-year-old, and seemed to know nothing about her, how on earth did the girl steal the narrator's heart? Also, why weren't the older children getting anything special? They were going through hard times, too.

As someone who works in a food bank, I find this story kind of irritateing. I would never want to discourage charity, but from hunger relief point of view, this was like handing someone with pneumonia a cough drop and then congratulateing yourself on what a great thing you did. Hunger in this country is a chronic problem. If this theoretical family didn't have enough money to buy food for Thanksgiving, then they probably don't have enough money to buy sufficient food any other day either. Also, why were they whispering to each other over the phone?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fantine

This reminds me of an FOAF/glurge story that came from my sister's coworker. Apparently this coworker at one time had no money to feed her three kids and refused to apply for food stamps, because gubmint programs are teh ebil. So she went to the parking lot of a large shopping center and started looking in people's back seats. And--praise God!--she found three or four cars with bags of groceries in the back seats, whose owners--praise God!--had left the doors unlocked. She took just a little from each car, and was able to feed her family for the week without resorting to talking to the unsaved at DSHS.

This story doesn't surprise me at all. I recently got a call from a man who refused to go apply for SNAP because he was convinced that he wouldn't qualify on the grounds that he wasn't a stereotypical drug-addicted minority with 10 kids. Finally, after me telling him I couldn't help him 5 or 6 times, he said, "Well, I'll just go steal some food then," and hung up on me. (Other highlights form that conversation included, "Does that black guy still work there? He'd help me out." And "I won't qualify for food stamps because I work for my money.")

Back when we had a local Big Star grocery, they'd keep track of your purchases beginning about the first of October. If you spent more than a certain level, you got a free Thanksgiving turkey. We got several that way and always gave them to folks who otherwise wouldn't be able to have one.

Because we don't even like turkey.

Brad "so I guess no gold stars for us, huh?" from Georgia

I remember one Christmas quite a few years ago, Mum had already bought our Christmas ham when one of suppliers for my parents business brought as a ham*. Mum simply took it to one of the local charity groups. Mostly cause she didn't want to waste it.

*who brings a ham on Christmas Eve and think it would be useful, didn't it occur to him we would have already shopped.